Crysis - Bullshit = Warhead?

[A user named cat]

Haha, Warhead is being raped on Amazon.

Everyone is shitting on it due to the retarded DRM EA packed with it. That's probably losing them quite a bit of sales too, seeing as how many people shop on Amazon and will see it has such a low user rating.

 

[ricolikesrice]

...

yeah, and crytek were pretty much assholes about it: before release they said they ll find a solution good for both gamers and them .... and then sneak in this spore shit (forced by EA or not... who cares). official announcement from them comming today. i expect more stupid excuses about piracy hurting crysis and thus bringing in this crap.

gonna wait with buying. some reviews state its more CoD4-like linear (as if that were a good thing....) ... other say the complete opposite i.e. no linear shit except for some very rare setpieces...... some reviews say aliens AI is hugely improved, others say it isnt.
MP gets alot of love so far, but to me thats rather a bad sign that it may be severly dumbed down....

i m not gonna buy Call of Crysis, so waiting for thrustworthy sources to confirm which reviews are talking BS and which arent.

 

[Wyrmlord]

There is a tunnel level and truck level* which are highly linear, and this is what disappointed Gamespy and Gamespot (they said it would have been a perfect game if it were not for them). But the general consensus among everybody is that it's still mostly a sandbox game, with very tight enemy placement. The comparisons with CoD might mean that it's more of an intense game.

I agree that Crytek are a little annoying these days. With all their rants on piracy, they are drawing publicity for the wrong reasons and taking the attention away from their actual games.

*they might be the same level

 

[Wyrmlord]

Hey Rico, just tell me what you think about this. I reinstalled Far Cry recently, and my perspective of it has changed alot.

It's nothing like Crysis.

It's actually more like Call Of Duty.

No, really. I don't know if you've played the game recently, but I now find that it's a highly railroaded game, with alot of situations based on scripted sequences (fighting the helicopter on top of the ship, for example). And like CoD, it has limited saves, and often situations are based on trial and error, and involve speed and swiftness.

Basically, I don't think Crytek really made a sandbox game until Crysis, and that Far Cry essentially belongs to the CoD-like linear shooter category.

 

[Admiral Rimjob POOBUM]

Yeah this thread (and waiting to get a working motherboard for my new computer) inspired me to reinstall and play through Far Cry again, and it's really not as sandbox as it's made out to be. A lot of alternate paths through levels that lend themselves fairly well to exploration, but it's pretty railroaded overall. Is Crysis really that different, though?

 

[Kaiserin]

I'm finding Crysis to be objectively superior to Far Cry. I'm pretty sure that I'm almost finished with it, just came out and everything is snowed over. To be honest, it really feels to me like Crysis is what they wished they could have made Far Cry. I'm not so sure that it's a huge leap forward from Far Cry, but assuredly a step forward nonetheless.

I'm wary of calling it a 'sand box shooter' though. I mean sure, you can run around wherever you want on the map, but the game pulls you along rather aggressively if you get off task with nagging voices.

 

[Wyrmlord]

Yeah this thread (and waiting to get a working motherboard for my new computer) inspired me to reinstall and play through Far Cry again, and it's really not as sandbox as it's made out to be. A lot of alternate paths through levels that lend themselves fairly well to exploration, but it's pretty railroaded overall. Is Crysis really that different, though?

Yes, I do think it is different.

The Awakening level. It can be roughly divided into three areas. Military base, landing zone, and mines. You can do it as Mines-Landing Zone-Military Base, Landing Zone-Military Base-Mines, Mines-Military Base-Landing Zone, and so on

Not to mention that each of those areas is huge, and can be entered through different ways. The miliiary base has two entrances, one guarded by tank, other by a truck. Apart from them, you can use Maximum Strength to jump through the walls from any direction. The mines are themselves divided into two bases, and also have an upper region that is highly fortified. You can head straight to the upper region by taking a vehicle and leaping off a cliff. You can devastate the rest of the level, and leave the landing zone for the last, making it an easy cakewalk at the end.

Now, first level of Far Cry. Do you really think you can head straight to the ship, kill everyone on it, AND THEN, go back to the previous mercenary camps? Nope, has to be done in order.

 

[Annonchinil]

Well I am playing Warhead now and I think I am almost finished. Some impressions.

-Better soundtrack: kicks in at the right time
-Better story: while its not amazing it really feels like an action movie, its well paced, provides a better focus and keeps you interested in your goal. Its also got some nice moments (one nice one is after a bridge/train scene) I liked it better than Bioshock (didn't care much for Bioshocks story)
-Better pacing: Crysis was essentially; Koreans, Nanosuit+Koreans and then Aliens. Warhead continually mixes things up so you never fight one group for significant portions of the game and shift between them
-Better aliens: Not sure if it is their AI or the level design but they get some new special abilities that makes them much more fun and challenging opponents.
-Better Graphics: Looks better and runs better
-Better Art: There is much less green jungle. What jungle their is feels more varied (ie. stormy/overcast) The locations are more interesting while remaining natural. There is an ice level hovercraft chase that made my jaw drop.
-Better Atmosphere: While not as good as Stalker it feels more spookier than the original.

-Korean AI: Didn't notice much of an improvement but this time it seems like they die quicker. It gives the game a more actiony quicker pace but removes the methodical cat and mouse feel of the original.
-Level Design: The one thing I miss is the bases and the concept of gameplay bubbles, Warhead does not really have them or do them as well. In a way it feels more linear in some sections. However the linear sections, unlike Crysis; where they all are just put in the end, are spread out across the game giving it a better pace. I mention pacing a lot because the game does feel better paced, there is a lot less down time and you constantly move from point A to B.

Overall: Although I miss something’s from Crysis I enjoy Warhead more.

 

[Destroid]

Picking what order you do missions in doesn't contribute anything to a game, unless it has some kind of consequence.

 

[Wyrmlord]

But it does. Because the weapons and ammo you have persist from one level to another. If you can find a highly efficient way of doing a level, it will be really helpful in the next mission.

Also, helicopters in Crysis are absolutely dangerous, and will keep you running on and on. They can even hinder your exploration of the area. If you explore the level around in such a way that you find a missile launcher early on, the helicopter will not be a problem, so you can explore around more, and find some useful stashed items like Grenade Launcher attachments.

Crysis does have a compass telling you where to go, but it can be ignored completely. And the best thing is that you tend to be rewarded for doing so. Though I only found this out playing it a second time.

 

[Kaiserin]

Also, helicopters in Crysis are absolutely dangerous, and will keep you running on and on. They can even hinder your exploration of the area. If you explore the level around in such a way that you find a missile launcher early on, the helicopter will not be a problem, so you can explore around more, and find some useful stashed items like Grenade Launcher attachments.

I personally thought that the helicopter LOS was downright broken. It would very often spot me when I was underneath things, or through the small portholes in the NK trailers. What I found especially frustrating was the way it follows you even when you are entirely invisible, and have never been able to shake one in any way other than shooting it down.

 

[Wyrmlord]

That is also true. I mean, walking in a jungle invisible, and still having the helicopter somewhere in the same radius is bad.

Anyhoo, what I was saying about Far Cry's limited saves - I think that was a common trend back then. Yeah, I think every shooter had limited saves. NOLF2 had it. The Jedi Knight games had it. Alot of 2002-2004 shooters had limited saves. Thank goodness the trend has been disappearing.

 

[ricolikesrice]

completed warhead, my thoughts:


-art design is fucking fantastic. the levels look stunning not only because of the engine but because it was put to great use where the original sometimes looked somewhat "sterile".

-soundtrack is great, much better than the original.

-story took a secondary role but in a (imho) very good way. no pretentious pseudo-intellectual hollywood bullshit but merely a good action flick with some great moments that doesnt get in the way of having fun. about perfect for a FPS but obviously wouldnt win any price in other genres.

-didnt notice any AI improvements for the koreans, i.e. most of the AI is good but it still fucks up from time to time giving you enemies that act really retarded.
what i really disliked is that the korean nanosuits didnt get any AI improvements.... they still dont use their suit much and act merely as koreans with more armour .... kind of a shame considering if they used their speed and strenght and cloak modes, they could be a lot more interesting enemies.
on the good side however aliens got a major overhaul and are good fun to fight now. there s new aliens who shield their brothers and the normal ones act alot smarter using cover, flanking etc. just like koreans however they also suffer from occasional retardation.... but compared to the original where aliens were completly stupid... it s a huge step forward.

-didnt notice any performance improvements to be honest. on my 8800 GTS 640 i was able to play the original on 1650x1050 / high details with only getting bad FPS when tons of things were happening. same for warhead. i changed to "mainstream" (medium) settings midway through and on that it ran perfect and still looked great.

-level design (gameplay-wise) is certainly above "railroaded fragfest" i.e. most of the time plenty of alternative routes / tactics / replay value consistently except for some very short passages. no "last third = corridor shooter" bullshit this time around.
HOWEVER no level sadly reaches the greatness of relic, onslaught and harbour (my 3 favourite crysis levels from the original). they are all fun still and miles from your avg corridor shooter just not as good damn good as the 3 i mentioned from the original considering choices/freedom/etc.

-game crashed a lot for me ( around 7 times in 7 hours), maybe just a driver problem though.


summary: havent tried crysis wars (the MP) yet but the singleplayer was better than i expected though not perfect (levels could have been a bit more open like the best of the original and i disliked that nanosuit koreans got no AI improvements)

btw i played mostly with speed & strenght mode and used cloak/armor rarely this playthrough so not sure whether the cloak n shoot gayness some criticised from the original is still possible.

 

[VonVentrue]

Bought it yesterday. It took me approximately ten hours to finish (on delta), so I'd say the game lasts a decent amount of time.
The single player content is a blast to play, I will take a risk saying Warhead improves upon its predecessor in nearly every way. Sure, some sections of the levels are fairly linear this time around, but the overall experience is an engaging, thrilling one. Two thumbs up.
Installing Crysis Wars right now, heard some pretty good things about it.

Boycotting such a good game because of a DRM that'll be eventually removed (vide Bioshock) is an act of lunacy...

Ricolikesrice - interesting thoughts there. I'd have to agree, the AI leaves a bit to be desired at times, some improvements should have been made. Concerning performance, Warhead runs slightly better for me than the original does (but then, the environment textures aren't as insanely detailed as they used to be).

 

[Allanon]

Finished today and it took me around 5-7 hours.
Mediocre game. Played on mainstream video so it was all about the gameplay as the graphics on that level are not exceptional at all. Anyway, the AI is brain dead as never before, the story unoriginal, the gameplay is railroaded. Coming to a fight through a slightly different direction or killing with different guns is not considered alternative routes/tactics. So I could run real fast and power kick or just snipe...wow, hold me tight.
Anyway, anyone looking for a good railroaded shooter should go and buy call of duty 4 and those who hope for a freeform shooter should try stalker or wait for farcry 2 perhaps.